Water-laden 'rivers' of flowing air are likely to bring more flooding misery to the UK as a result of climate change, scientists predict.

Researchers from the University of Reading believe serious flooding will become twice as likely in the UK by the end of the century, thanks to a weather phenomenon that sees huge volumes of water vapour traveling though the air.

They have blamed climate change for increasing the occurrence of 'atmospheric rivers,' which are already responsible for causing floods of large magnitudes in Britain during the winter months.

Scenes like this one of a flooded high street in Cockermouth, Cumbria, could become more frequent sights.
Scientists believe serious flooding will become twice as likely in the UK by the end of the century, thanks to atmospheric rivers

Atmospheric rivers are narrow saturated air currents that cause heavy, long-lasting winter rain in mid-latitude regions of the Earth and can carry enormous amounts of water.

If the scientists are correct, we could see the weather phenomenon more frequently that produces the sort
of floods that devastated Cumbria in November 2009, The Independent reported.

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A staggering
foot of rain fell within just three days and this sort of weather could become more frequent in the years ahead.

Atmospheric
rivers have been blamed for some of the UK's most dramatic floods in
recent times that are estimated to have caused over £1 billion worth of
damage in the last year alone.

A new studyin IOP Publishing's Environmental
Research Letters,has shown that atmospheric rivers affecting the UK are expected to become stronger and more frequent by the end of the century - because of global warming, the researchers claim.

Atmospheric rivers are narrow saturated air currents that cause heavy, long-lasting winter rain in mid-latitude regions of the Earth and can carry enormous amounts of water. Here, a diagram shows the concentration of water in the Cumbria flood

The scientists found thatlarge parts of the projected changes in atmospheric river frequency and intensity would
be down to thermodynamic changes in the atmosphere, rather than the
natural variability of the climate.

They said this suggests that it is a response to
climate change.

To reach these conclusions, the scientists used five climate models to simulate conditions between 2074 and 2099 based on forecasts of greenhouse gas emissions.

All the models indicated a doubling of atmospheric rivers frequency compared with that seen during the period 1980 to 2005.

An increase in the intensity of atmospheric rivers, leading to greater amounts of rain, was also predicted.

Lead author of the study, David Lavers, from the University of Reading, said: 'Atmospheric rivers could become stronger in terms of their moisture transport.

The flooded River Derwent breaks its banks and floods properties in Cockermouth, Cumbria in November 2009.
Dr Lavers said the link between atmospheric rivers and flooding is already well established, so an increase in atmospheric river frequency will probably lead to an increased number of floods

'In a warming world, atmospheric water
vapour content is expected to rise due to an increase in saturation
water vapour pressure with air temperature.

'This is likely to result in increased water vapour transport.

'The link between atmospheric rivers and flooding is already well established, so an increase in atmospheric river frequency is likely to lead to an increased number of heavy winter rainfall events and floods.